Black Albert | De Struise Brouwers

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Reviews by ToasterChef:

Served in my Uprising Chalice at Novare Res' First Anniversary Party. The beer lives up to its name, it is black as night. There is a tan head that settled to a thin coating that lasted until all the beer was gone. It has a roasted malt smell that I rather enjoyed. The first thing that I noticed about the taste was a chocolaty sweetness, followed by roasted malts (of course, this could be more from the aroma than the taste) and a bit of caramel. The beer is 13% alcohol and you can taste it and feel it's warmth, but it isn't overpowering or distracting; in fact, it's quite nice. The beer has a heavy body, but is very drinkable. You don't want to consume this one too quickly, even though it is tempting. This exceptional beer should be enjoyed slowly. Seek out a bottle as soon as possible, or just head to Ebenezer's Pub and get it on tap.

More User Reviews:

Additional rating: 11.2oz bottle, bottled in 2008, consumed in 2015. Served in a snifter glass. Essentially, the licorice and dark fruit has died out a fair amount, leaving a very clean, chocolate and cocoa presence, a mild bit of oxidation, spices. Its definitely held up well over 7 years.

Pours a silky black body, viscous and thick. Small bit of mocha head comes out, but dissipates quickly. Not a ton of lacing left behind. Basically a standard imperial stout.

Smells like straight up licorice. Its complemented by a nice roasty maltiness and even a bit of spice which I assume is from the belgian yeasts used here. The licorice is very strong here and if thats what you like, this is the way to go.

Tastes interesting, still quite a bit of licorice but the chocolate, coffee and spice comes out more here than in the nose. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the licorice and anise in the flavour profile but again, if that's your jam, then this is what you want.

Medium to full bodied, good carbonation, slick and smooth. Interesting and quite sweet; not super drinkable and its a sipper on a nice cold night.

Interesting, I don't like licorice that much but as an overall beer, it's done quite well and if you like licorice at all, you'll enjoy this one. I'm not going back to this one, but won't fault the brewers here- this is what they wanted to make here.

Great to get my paws on this one,poured as black as an oil slick,I mean no light getting thru this,a 1/2 finger light moch head atop leaving shotty lace.Aromas of dark fruit and espresso roast coffee,a tinge of hardwood shows thru as well.Lush mouthfeel,full and velvity,to me its perfect hence the rating.Complex flavors with a mix of heavy roast and dark fruit sweetness,some molasses-like flavors add to the sweetness,a big drying somewhat earthy finish is a great to end this brew.Its a sipping brew and can get a little sticky after a bit but this a gem of a beer.

Picked up a bottle at Bier Temple in Brussels. I'm immediately impressed by the huge boozy dark fruit nose. This is very comparable to a Baltic Porter. In fact, after tasting it I would have certainly assumed as much. As the beer warms chocolate and molasses shine through in the scent but the beer remains dominated by sweet/sour prunes, dried apricots, and currants. The flavor follows - booze soaked plums and raison served over espresso. This one is hot, full bodied, and at times syrupy. Very good beer but not as interesting as I would have guess from the hype. Not particularly drinkable. Too boozy and syrupy.

T: A very intense flavor fills the mouth with flavors in an instant. Sweet fruits and a light tartness, faint taste of tannins. Nice backbone of roasted and slightly burnt malts. Coffee, dark chocolate, spices, wood and general burnt flavors. The flavors are presented in a "Belgian package" that is quite hard to describe. The finish is quite bitter, but not as intense as the 100 IBU might suggest. Plenty of alcohol with a faint phenolic touch. Lingering notes of coffee, roasted malts and spices.

M: Full bodied, oily viscosity, but still plenty of carbonation. The finish is slightly dry.

D: A very powerful and rather complex stout with an interesting character. Highly recommended.

After all the hype, I finally got to try this beer. It lived up to its reputation. Served in a tulip, the beer was an impenetrable black with a medium tan head. It had a coffee and chocolate aroma, like most RIS, but to my usually impaired nose, was fairly pronounced. A coffee/espresso and chocolate taste, very well balanced. If not for the high ABV, could drink a lot of these.

11.2oz bottle. Pours an opaque black with a medium creamy brown head that retains well and leaves some lacing.

The aroma is chocolate malts, some sharp tart vinous fruits, black licorice and a little vanilla and roast.

The flavor is smooth lactic chocolate malts and vanilla with a bit of slightly tart fruit leading to a bitter roasty finish. The alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with creamy carbonation and a bit of a watery texture.

Overall, a pretty well balanced big beer with a lot of complexity. The tart fruitiness seemed a bit out of place to me and was very distracting.

Pours onyx black with a dense medium brown head. Robust aroma. I get some chocolate, coffee and creamer, some dark berries, and a bit of smoke. The flavor is a bit different. Kind of a fruity mocha with plenty of bitterness and alcohol. Silky, milky mouthfeel with plenty of carbonation. The finish is a bit bitter and hot. Still, this is a fine beer and is recommended.

Taste opens with a nutty dark chocolate note, followed by roasty coffee, powdered cocoa, and dried dark fruits. Alcohol is noticed, but is concealed pretty well considering the strength. A serious hop presence makes itself known, with a herbal hop element. Candy sugars are also easy to identify. Finishes with a dark roasty bitterness.

Seems to have influences of a Belgian tripel with the candy sugars, and of a Belgian IPA with the hopping. Very interesting and complex, but not one of my top ten stouts.

Small bottle, no feshness/vintage info, except for more marks on the side of the label which are of no help. Purchased at Julio's in Mass. all I remember about about the price was it was a lot! Over $5 for the 11.2 ounce bottle at least. Cool art on the label. Pours BLACK. Creamy, rich/dense dark mocha head, unrelenting retention and plenty of sheeting/lace. The nose is intensly and impresivly of dark chocolate, and double expesso. Thick and luxorious, loads of more bitter dark chocolate, expresso, nuts, brnt grains and everything doubly stouty and boldly delicious. World class stuff, go get some and enjoy.